Versus Second Chances
by familyofthieves
Summary: Who knew that something as mundane as getting sick would help put their relationship back on track and change their lives all over again.
**I've started a new collection of drabbles for future Chuck and Sarah! The set up for these will be a little different, but this is number one in the series.**

* * *

He woke up earlier than his wife, which wasn't that unusual. He immediately headed into the kitchen and started making a fresh pot of coffee. Once it started brewing he sat down at the table to check his e-mails. They had finished their latest case yesterday and so far they had nothing else planned. He knew things would change as soon as they went into the office, but for the moment he would enjoy their morning free from work.

He looked up from his laptop when he heard the familiar sound of his wife's footsteps. "Morning honey." He smiled, but that quickly turned into a frown when he noticed her unusually pale face. "Are you feeling okay?"

She sat down beside him at the table, "My head is killing me and I feel exhausted."

He placed the back of his hand to her forehead, "Sarah you're burning up. Why don't you go back to bed and I'll bring you something to lower the fever."

She nodded her head in agreement and slowly pushed herself up from the chair and headed back towards their bedroom. As he moved about the kitchen he reminisced about how far they had come over the past few months. The memories hadn't come back after their kiss, but the feelings she felt for him were still there and she was willing to give them a second chance.

Per her request they moved at a slow pace and he never pushed her into doing or saying anything she wasn't ready for. As promised he was there for her in any way that she needed him, when she needed space he gave it to her, when she had hundreds of questions about their lives he answered all of them. The only real suggestion he had for her was moving back into their home. Of course she was reluctant afraid that they were moving too fast, but he promised that she could sleep in the spare bedroom and that he only suggested it in hopes that being in a familiar place would help trigger some memories.

But it was she who woke up one night and climbed into bed with him after a nightmare. She hadn't gone back to the spare bedroom since.

Now it was his job to take care of his sick wife. The past month had been a busy one for the couple. Not only did they have their usual work load, but had also traveled out to Chicago to see his sister for Thanksgiving. Immediately after they got home there had been a case, which left them with little time to recuperate. She had probably run herself ragged with all they had done. Hopefully after a full days rest she would be feeling herself again.

Once the tray had everything needed on it he headed towards the bedroom. She was already asleep when he got there and he hated having to wake her, but he knew she would feel better once she took something.

"Sarah." He whispered and gently shook her shoulders.

She let out a groan, but didn't open her eyes.

"Sarah, I need you to wake up for me." He tried again. Slowly she opened her eyes and after a moments was able to focus on him, "Chuck?"

He gave her his best smile, hoping that he wasn't coming off as worried, "Hey Sarah, can you please sit up for me? I brought you some meds that will hopefully make you feel better."

He put his hand behind her back and helped her lean against the headboard. She quickly swollen the pills, but put the glass of water down after.

"I know you don't want to, but you need to eat and drink. You'll only feel worse if you don't."

He put a bite full of eggs on the fork and handed it to her. With shaky hands she took it from him and took a bite. He sat next to her on the bed and encouraged her to finish the plate and the cup of water. Only once the plate was clean did he help her lie back down. She mumbled something that sounded like thank you before falling back to sleep. He sat with her until he was sure she wasn't going to wake up and then headed into the kitchen to clean up.

He sent his best friend a quick text explaining the situation and that he wasn't coming in today. He knew that his two friends could run the company without them for the day. Once that was settled he headed back into the bedroom where he planned on spending the rest of the day.

He walked back into the room at the right time as he saw his wife thrash back and forth in what appeared to be a nightmare. He quickly closed the gap between the door and the bed and was trying his best to comfort her. He gently ran his hand up and down her arm and whispered over and over again that he was there for her and it was only a dream. Even after her body calmed down he stayed beside her on the bed with his hand on her arm. He could feel every shiver and wished there was more he could do to take away the fever.

"I'm really worried Ellie." He told his sister a couple days later.

He looked at the bed at where his sick wife lay on the bed tossing and turning once more.

"Her fever hasn't gone down and she's only awake when I make her so she can drink and eat. I don't know what to do."

"Have you taken her to a doctor yet?"

"No I'm afraid to move her from the bed. Though I don't know how much sleep she's actually been getting. I don't think her body has actually rested between the chills and what I assume are dreams. I just want there to be a way to take it all away from her."

"I know you do and you are helping even though it may not seem like it. I'm going to give you a number of a friend of mine from the hospital. She can come by the apartment and check on Sarah."

"I wish you were here to do that."

"Me too Chuck, but look on the bright side only a few weeks till Christmas and then we'll all be together again."

"Hopefully Sarah will be better by then."

"I'm sure she will be. But if she does get worse before my friend can make it over take her to the hospital."

"I hope it doesn't come to that."

"I'm sure it won't. I love you Chuck and tell Sarah that I hope she gets better soon."

"Will do. I love you too." His sister's friend came and went with a promise that his wife was going to get better and a prescription for antibiotics to help her body fight whatever was raging through it. All that he needed to do was make sure she took the medication and continue taking care of her like he'd been doing to past few days and eventually her fever would break and she would wake up.

He was working on his computer when he heard a rustling from the bed behind him. He turned his head in time to see her really open her beautiful blue eyes for the first time in days. He quickly got up from the chair and sat down on the bed beside her as she slowly pushed herself up.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, his hand instantly going to her forehead to check for a fever. It was a huge relief to feel no heat radiating from her indicating that her fever finally broke.

She sighed closing her eyes as she thought about his question, "Tired and stiff. What happened?"

"You've been really really sick. I finally had to call Ellie who sent over one of her friends to make sure I didn't have to take you to the hospital. You've been out for almost a week."

"A week." she gasped. "The last thing I remember is you telling me to go back to bed."

"I wouldn't expect you to remember any of it, you had a pretty high fever. I don't think you got any actual rest between that and what I assume were bad dreams."

"You saved me." she said suddenly.

"What?" he asked taken aback by her seemingly random statement.

"I kept having dreams about...about Shaw."

"Oh Sarah, I'm so sorry." he apologized. "I never wanted you to remember him."

So far most of the memories she had gained back were happy ones. Every once and awhile something bad would come along, but they were minor events that they would discuss and move on from. He had actually hoped she would permanently forget that time in their life, he wished he could.

"No it's okay. I dreamed, or I guess remembered, each time he tried to kill me. But you were always there to save me at the end. No matter what Shaw tried to do to me you were always there to rescue me."

"Well technically one time it was Morgan who saved you." he butted in.

"Doesn't matter because even in my fevered state the part that I was able to remember on the most was you saving me over and over again.

And then she did something he hadn't expected her to do, something she hadn't done since that fateful day on the beach, she kissed him. Not just the little pecks on the cheek or lips they had been giving one another these past few months. This was a full on rock his world kind of kiss.

"Sarah are you sure about this, I mean..."

"I've never been more sure of anything. I've made you wait long enough. I think it's time for me to properly thank you for taking care of me and saving me and for never giving up on me."

He looked into her eyes and gave her one of his famous smiles before going back in and kissing her senselessly. It had been so long since he had kissed her this way and he hadn't felt this happy since that day on the train.


End file.
